The Cedar Pass Ski Hill has a T-bar lift and offers weekend winter recreation including
alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and sledding. They are open 10 AM
to 4 PM when we have enough snow. It is a great place to hike in the summer too.

Land sailing on the dry lake beds east of Cedarville, weather permitting, is a great
sport. The lake beds allow miles of land sailing or ice-skating.

Hiking on the Cedar Creek trail begins off Highway 299 by the Cedar Pass Ski Hill
Park and is 3 miles down hill with interpretive markers for the first half-mile on
both the upper and lower ends. This was originally the path used by the Paiute Indians
to travel from Surprise Valley to their winter home near Cedar Pass. John Bonner
used the basic trail to build the first wagon road across the Warner Mountains between
Cedarville and Alturas.

Sightseeing, rock hounding, and just enjoying the outdoors are common activities. Cedarville
has been declared a gateway (see the visitor page) community to the Black Rock Desert/High
Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Great Basin and the Warners and there are
many back roads to explore. While you are out on the back roads and byways keep
a sharp lookout and you will see wild horses and antelope on the hills. They really
blend into the landscape. The wagon trail can still be seen in places. Detailed
maps are available from the BLM office (602 Cressler St.) and the Forest Service
(Lincoln).

Birdwatching is becoming a great pastime and viewing locations are being established. Bald
eagles can often be seen sitting on the electric wires or fences. During squirrel
hunting they eat the squirrels as fast as the hunters kill them. The Sandhill Cranes
are kick to watch, I drove all the way to Nebraska to see them when they are in my
own backyard. Many other birds migrate through the area every year.

Hunting

Cedarville is home to the annual squirrel roundup. Locals say the little varmint
devils will eat 25% of the crop and their hazardous holes are bad for unaware horses,
people and equipment. It seems to be great sport, the ranchers welcome the help
to control them, the eagles eagerly clean up the remains and the squirrels are awful
scroungy looking anyway and can carry bubonic plague.

Especially during hunting season, you will see deer (including a trophy buck walking
down Main Street and cutting across the hotel rear parking lot just to taunt the
hunters. Of course, the deer know there is no hunting in town.

Guides are available for Big Horn Sheep (see the links) and rides into the wilderness.

Bird hunters have done well here. Geese and Ducks are bountiful and fly by overhead
almost daily.

Fishing is excellent in the lakes. Our guests have brought us some tasty ones.

Elk are well established on the Fandango Pass. Watch out during the rutting season. They
can be very dangerous.

There are bears in the Warners as well as mountain lions so be careful in the woods
and elsewhere. Also, respect others property and re-close gates and leave no trace
behind.

History

Historic Cedarville began about 1864 as Deep Creek, a wagon train campground. By
1867, John Bonner and William Cressler had established a trading post here. Bonner
built the road over Cedar Pass. Cressler introduced legislation in 22nd California
Congress to succeed from Siskiyiu County and form Modoc County. Cedarville has been
in Utah Territory and Nevada before it was claimed by California. By 1880, the population
had grown to 220. Today it is about 800. Some say Cedarville got its name from
a lone Cedar tree at the edge of town prompting John Bonner to name it after his
hometown of Cedarville, Ohio.

There are several historic buildings located in town

The Townsend trading post, bought by Cressler-Bonner, built in 1865 is in the park
on Center Street (one block west of Main Street) and less than a block from Highway
299. It is designated as state Historical Landmark No. 14.

The corner store on Main Street and Highway 299, Cedarville Grocery, was the Bank
of Surprise Valley that went under during the depression in the 1930s.

Next to the store is the Cedarville Garage currently home to several historic horse
drawn vehicles. If anyone is around you might be able to get a tour. Continuing
down Main St. you will find the Cressler-Bonner building, started in 1884 and finished
in 1885. The shop next to Surprise was a hardware store. The first and oldest elevator
in Modoc County can be found in that shop. Stop in Floating Island Books, originally
the first bank in Modoc County years ago, and browse around. You can also visit
the Surprise Internet Cafe for some coffee, excellent wine choices, wireless Internet
and collectibles. Upstairs was a Knights of Pythias lodge now becoming apartments.

The next point of interest built from the turn of the century (1880) is the Metzker
house, currently a bed and breakfast. This was the original Cressler house. Past
the old fire bell is the old Bank of America building now the home of the Over 50
Club. Everyone in the valley over 50 is an automatic member. The building can be
rented as a hall for events. The Senior Citizen lunch is served there every Tuesday
and Thursday.

There are several historic residences in town to see. The Cloud house at 203 South
Main St., the Van Doren house at 405 Townsend Street (hwy 299) and the Dee house
at 675 Center Street.

At the fair grounds is the town of Louieville. This is a collection of buildings
donated from neighboring towns and ranches for preservation. There is a slaughterhouse,
a schoolhouse, a water tower, a church, a two-seat outhouse, the old Fort Bidwell
jail, a workshop, the old Eagleville jail and a cabin built by Christopher Sharp
- one of the first settlers of Cedarville.

On your way back up Main St, you will see Warner Mountain Weavers which was the Deep
Creek School House in 1874 and then after a second story addition home to the Masons.
They shear local sheep, dye the wool, spin it and weave or knit with the end product.
See shopping.

The hotel was built in the teens and included a pharmacy and a barbershop in the
front that extended out to the sidewalk. Gordon Ash stopped by with some pictures. The
explosion eliminated that portion of the building. In the 20's, the hotel had awnings
over the windows and no decks. It looked like the 20's in Chicago. The hotel was
owned by Golden's for several years and had oil heat with a big tank in the basement. Bill
Drew bought the hotel from the Arache’s and refurbished it after it had been unused
as a hotel for several years. As more about the building and Cedarville is discovered,
this section will be expanded. See Blog link on Home Page for some more history.

Shopping

Gift Shop next to Country Hearth

Surprise Internet Cafe across the street. Besides coffee and eats there are many
old items for sale on the shelves.

Groceries are available at the Cedarville Market (Main & Townsend (hwy 299) and Page's
Market Main and Bonner.

Good Things - A collection of little stores in a mall like setting.

Maps

The local BLM (Bureau of Land Management) on Cressler St between Townsend St (299)
and Washington St has information and maps of the area. Another resource is the
USFS (United States Forest Service) on Wallace St. between Main St. and High St.
Both have web sites. See link below for printable map from USFS.

Modoc County is mostly public lands and provides many varied activities.

Let us know if you find any dead links so they can be fixed. Forest Service Links

The following are links to the US Forest Service Recreational Information and Activities.